


These Few Stolen Seconds

by a1_kitkat



Series: Still Got Tonight [1]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Episode: s01e01 Pilot, M/M, Malex, Mutual Pining, My First Work in This Fandom, Not Beta Read, Past Relationship(s), School Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 06:46:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17657948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: Michael sees Alex for the first time in ten years then sees him again at the reunionBasically my take on the Malex scenes from the pilot (some of the dialogue may not be exact)





	These Few Stolen Seconds

His entire body was trembling as he stood, leaning against the closed door of his trailer; his eyes scanning his collection of charts and research to assure himself that no one else had been inside, invaded his privacy. Michael’s heart was still racing as he took off his shirt, of all the soldiers to be knocking on his door it just had to be Alex Manes.  
Alex fucking Manes.  
Michael closed his eyes and willed his heartbeat to return to normal but he knew that wasn’t about to happen. Not now, not after seeing… He moved to the small, newspaper covered window and peered out through the smallest gap, watched as Alex climbed into the jeep with his crutch, and he averted his gaze.

He’d known Alex was back, had even been hoping to maybe bump into him at some point in time, not that he’d admit that, not even to himself but seeing him standing outside his trailer was the las thing Michael needed right now.  
Max was close to going off the rails, if he hadn’t tipped already, and Isobel couldn’t even contain him… Alex’s return wasn’t exactly a welcome distraction.

When he glanced out the window again, both Alex and the jeep were gone. He sank down in the nearest chair and allowed himself but a moment to think about Alex.  
The man hadn’t changed a bit… except he had. He wasn’t the young teenage boy Michael had fallen in love with… No, he was a man now; a soldier; a hero and even more handsome than he remembered him to have been.

He thought of how casually Alex had told Michael about his injury, had even tapped his fake leg to bring his point home but Michael had already known about it. The entire town had been abuzz when it had happened, when word had spread that one of the Manes’ boys had been severely wounded. Michael had had to use a fair amount of his cunning, sneaking and stealth to find out how badly he’d been hurt without letting on to anyone that he’d wanted, no needed, to know.  
For a week, the nightmares he’d once had when Alex was first deployed all came back and he did things, stupid things to make himself not think about him, to try to forget about him.

‘What are you doing in this trailer?’ Alex had asked him. ‘It doesn’t look legal’  
‘A little weed, a lot of casual sex and oh yeah covert plans to finally overthrow the government’ Michael wished he could take back his smartass remark but he hadn’t failed to notice the look on the other man’s face at his comment about all the casual sex he’d been having, not that he brought any of the men or women back to his trailer. No, no one could see what he was working on.

Michael let out a breath as he rubbed his eyes with his hand, ran his fingers down his neck, shoulder, arm and paused as he remembered the way Alex used to touch him and he closed his eyes again. Wished just once that things could be different, that the life he was used to wasn’t about to come crashing down around his feet.  
He needed another distraction; not Max, not Alex, just something else.

*

The reunion wasn’t exactly what he had in mind but it was important to Isobel so of course he went. He kept his distance from both Max and Liz as he just wasn’t in the mood to deal with either of them. He settled himself on a couch and just observed as everyone else drank, danced and just had an annoying amount of fun. Michael held his resolve, he wasn’t one to make a fool of himself on the dancefloor but he wasn’t drunk enough to go home yet either. A former classmate and one time hook-up tried to get his attention but he was quick to dismiss her, wanting a moment to brood alone when he sensed someone approaching.  
Michael looked up; the first thing he saw a the crutch but he continued to glance up, taking in the red checked shirt and found himself, once again, in extremely close proximity to Alex Manes.

“You cooking meth?” Alex opened the conversation  
“Yeah… Absolutely” Michael couldn’t control himself.  
“I’m serious. Chemical engineers found high levels of phenylpropanol around your airstrip”  
“It’s not p2p they’re detecting” he argued as he got to his feet. He was a touch surprised when Alex blocked his path and leaned closer. “It’s similar” he knew he was being cocky. “You should find yourself some better engineers”  
He needed to get away before he said or did something he’d regret so Michael started forwards but Alex reached out to stop him.  
“You are wasting your life, Guerin” Alex hissed, his lips were so close to Michael’s.  
“Are you trying to hold my hand, Private?” Michael wasn’t sure he meant it as a joke or an insult.  
“Does the macho cowboy swagger thing ever get old for you?” Alex was able to give back just a good.  
“Did it get old for you?” he snapped and Alex let go. Michael made a hasty retreat.

Again, his heart was racing as he tried to put as much distance between the two of them as possible. It had been ten years so why, why after ten seconds with Alex did he feel like he was back in high school? That there was nothing stopping him from taking Alex’s hand himself, pulling him close and telling him that he was glad he was back? Telling him he was glad he was alive? Telling him that he missed being with him? Was it because he was afraid to tell him anything? Afraid to hear that Alex hadn’t missed him?

The slideshow being projected upon the walls showed him and his classmates as they’d been ten years ago… when he’d been in his own, secret happy bubble with Alex. Two young, giddy teenagers who had their entire futures before them and behind closed doors, they had each other. An image of younger Alex flashed before him and Michael turned to run away. He slipped into a side room, wanting to be alone and instead, finding fate.

Older, stoic Alex was standing before him, staring up at the image of his younger self and Michael tried to read the expression on his face. There had been a time when he hadn’t even needed to look at Alex to know what he was thinking or feeling. He stood by the door, knew he had to say something to him, anything, something not snarky.

“Nostalgia’s a bitch, huh?” Michael said, announcing his presence by the door.  
Alex turned to look at him.  
“I thought for sure that by the time I got back from Iraq, you’d be long gone”  
There was a definite hardness in his eyes, one Michael wasn’t used to seeing directed at him. It actually hurt a little.  
“Is that what you want?” Michael dared to ask as he stepped towards Alex.

Michael watched as the expression on Alex’s face softened.  
“We’re not kids anymore” Alex stated the obvious as Michael continued to move towards him “what I want doesn’t matter”

Michael dared to look into Alex’s eyes and they held each other’s gaze for a long beat until he couldn’t fight it any longer. His lips found Alex’s, his hand brushed his neck and they melded together as they shared a deep, lingering kiss. He felt a hand on his waist, pulling him close and he took in all that was Alex Manes.  
Nothing had changed, he still felt and tasted like the Alex he remembered. Heard the low moan of delight that always sent a shiver down his spine. He wanted more, he craved everything that was Alex and he never wanted to let him go. Michael was convinced he was dreaming, that there was no way the soldier who’d gone off to war was now back in his arms but he felt Alex’s teeth on his lip and heard himself give a low growl. He could feel a stirring in his loins and knew if they didn’t stop now, there would be no turning back; a part of him felt that he was okay with that.  
Michael ran his hand down Alex’s lower back, dared to sneak his hand under his shirt but Alex took a step back and his crutch hit a crate with a very loud clang. This caused them both to take a step back, the moment over yet Michael’s heart was still racing while Alex’s lips were begging to be kissed again.

Alex looked away first, down at his crutch, and then he peered back up at Michael. He swallowed back whatever he’d been going to say. So Michael made the first move, he turned on his heel and started to walk away. He moved purposely yet slowly in the hope that Alex would call out to him, say something, anything. But he didn’t, neither of them did.  
They each headed in a different direction, neither of them turned to look back at the other.  
Both of them were hurting.  
Neither were willing to admit it.  
They were both still in love.


End file.
